Pan carton



ni ed Patent PAN CARTON" RussellJaHennessey and kobertvMafDunning, St.Paul, Mimn, assignors to Waldorf Paper Ptroducts Company, a corporationof Minnesota Application June 22, 1955, Serial.No.'517,177

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates to an improvement in pancarton and deals particularly with a sleeve for containing a pan ofmerchandise.

In recent years considerable merchandise has been sold in pan-shapedcontainers made either of metal foil or of somewhat more rigid material.For example, chicken pies in a frozen state have been packaged and soldin pan-type foil packages. Other such pies which need not be kept underrefrigeration are sold in pantype receptacles having hermetically sealedcovers. It is with this type of receptacle that the present invention isparticularly useful.

An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a sleeve forcontaining a pan-shaped object having a recessed upper end or topclosure. The sleeve includes a pair of opposed flaps which are bent outof the plane of the sleeve top and into the recessed end to hold thereceptacle from sliding from either end of the sleeve.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of asleeve which fits tightly about the pan. The receptacles are usuallytapered in form, the bottom of the receptacle being of substantiallyshorter radius than the receptacle top. When a pan of this type isclosed within a rectangular sleeve, the top and bottom walls tend to bowupwardly and downwardly, respectively, due to the fact that the lowerportion of the receptacle does not extend the full width of the sleeve.In the present arrangement the sleeve is constructed to taper inwardlyat the bottom so as to more nearly fit the contour of the receptacle andtherefore to fit more properly about the receptacle.

These and other objects and novel features of our invention will be moreclearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

Figure l is a perspective view of the sleeve with the receptacle inplace therein.

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the sleeve and receptacle showingthe manner in which the flaps hold the receptacle in the sleeve.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the sleeve showing the manner inwhich the sleeve tends to follow the contour of the receptacle.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the sleeve isformed.

With reference to Figure 4 of the drawing the sleeve is shown asincluding a side wall panel having connected thereto along a fold line11 a glue flap 12. A second side wall portion 13 is foldably connectedto the side wall panel 10 by a fold line 14. A fold line 15 connects theside wall portion 13 with a bottom panel 16. The bottom panel 16 isfoldably connected along a fold line 17 to a side wall portion 19. Thisside wall portion 19 is foldably connected along a fold line 20 to asecond side wall portion 21. This second side wall portion 21 isfoldably connected along a fold line 22 to the top panel 23.

When the carton is formed, the sleeve is folded along 2,904,170.Patentedasept. 1 5, 1959 the fold line 1 4 so that the side wall portion10- and the glue flap 12overlie the. side wall portion 1 3 and thebottom panel- 16. The sleeve is also folded along.

fold lines 14 and 22' while. the. various. panels are folded:

flat upon. one another.

The: top panel 23-includes.apairvof spaced flaps 242 and? 2.5. I Theflap24-is defined by any arcuate out line. 26,-, short parallel side cuts 27and 29, and a fold line 30 which is parallel to a side edge of thesleeve. The flap 25 is similarly formed with an inner arcuate cut line31 connecting parallel short cut lines 32 and 33, the ends of which arejoined by a fold line 34.

The fold lines 30 and 34 are parallel and the cut lines 26 and 31 areapproximately of equal radius to the inner surface of the recessed topof the receptacle 35 which is enclosed within the sleeve. Usually thesearcuate cut lines defining the ends of the flaps 24 and 25 are locatedat short distances inwardly from the opposite edges 36 and 37 of thesleeve blank.

The receptacle 35 is a pan-shaped structure having a bottom panel 39 anda tapered peripheral wall 40 extend ing upwardly and outwardlytherefrom. A cover 41 comprises a disc-shape body having a chime or agroove 42 about its periphery which encloses the upper edge of the sidewall 40' in the customary manner. The top 41 is therefore recessed andthe bead or chime 42 extends upwardly about the periphery of the coverto form a cylindrical shoulder against which the arcuate ends of theflaps 24 and 25 may engage, as is indicated in Figure 2 of the drawings.

The bottom panel 16 of the sleeve is of approximately the width of thediameter of the bottom 39 of the receptacle. The top panel 23 isapproximately equal to the outer diameter of the top of the receptacle.Therefore, as the receptacle is inserted into the sleeve, the connectedside wall panels 10, 13 and 19', 21 tend to straighten out toward acommon plane. In view of the fact that there is a tendency for thecarton stock to remain flat, this action exerts somewhat of a tensionupon the top and bottom panels tending to hold them parallel.Furthermore, the connected panels forming each side wall can fold nearerto a common plane to compensate for slight variations in the depths ofthe receptacle. This structure tends to hold the top and bottom panelsparallel and from bowing away from the container. When the samereceptacle is placed in a rectangular sleeve, the bottom panel tends tobow downwardly as there is nothing to hold this bottom panel to its fullwidth. This action tends to make the cover panel somewhat loose andpermits it to bow upwardly. This bowing is to a large extent eliminatedby the particular package arrangement illustrated.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principlesof construction and operation of our pan carton, and while we haveendeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, we desire to haveit understood that changes may be made within the scope of the followingclaims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. A can sleeve in combination with a receptacle having top of onediameter, a bottom of smaller diameter, and tapered side walls, thesleeve including a top panel overlying the receptacle top and ofsubstantially equal width thereto, parallel side wall panels hingedlyconnected to opposite edges of said top panel, the top of saidreceptacle engaging said side walls and tending to hold them parallel, abottom panel of a width substantially equal to the diameter of saidreceptacle bottom, and downwardly' and inwardly extending connectingpanels connec i g the lower. edges of said sidewalls to opposite edgesof said bottom panel, the combined height of said side wall panels andconnecting panels being substantially greater, thanthe length of thetapered side walls of'said.

receptacle, whereby folding said connected side wall panels andconnecting panels into common planes will increasethe distance betweensaid top and bottom panels to simplify insertion and removal of saidreceptacles.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said receptacle top isrecessed, and including tab means cut from the body of said top paneland folded thereto along parallel fold lines parallel to' the sleeveends, said tabs being folded to underlie portions of said top panel andto extend outwardly from the fold lines toward the nearest sleeve end,the ends of said tabs engaging in the recessed top of the receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,936,312 Snyder Nov. 21, 1933 2,126,185 Friedl Aug. 9, 1938 2,335,022OReilly Nov. 23, 1943 2,690,839 Robinson Oct. 5, 1954 2,727,674 RousDec. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 489,980 Canada Jan. 27, 1953

